title: Prevalence of GBV-C and hepatitis G virus variants in patients with fulminant hepatic failure in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Whether GB virus C and hepatitis G virus participate in fulminant hepatic failure is controversial. We studied the prevalence of the viral RNA in 48 patients. There were possible routes of infection, including blood transfusion, in 22 patients (group 1), and no risk factors in the other 26 (group 2).
  
  
  METHODS
  We assayed serum viral RNA with reverse transcription and nested polymerase chain reactions. Serum was obtained at admission, and after transfusion in group 2.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five (10%) serum samples from group 1 at admission had viral RNA of the 5'-untranslated region, and three of these samples had viral RNA of the NS3/helicase region. All five patients had transfusions before sampling. Two (4%) samples from group 2 were positive by both tests only after transfusion. Of two patients, one with non-A-E fulminant hepatic failure survived. Her serum alanine aminotransferase did not increase further after transfusion, but did stay above the reference range during follow-up. The other patient, with infection with hepatitis B virus detected at admission, died. After transfusion, his alanine aminotransferase did not increase further. Partial nucleotide sequences of GB virus C and hepatitis G virus from three fulminant hepatic failure patients and five control patients with chronic hepatitis C were compared with published sequences. A viral variant causing fulminant hepatitis, suggested elsewhere, was not found, nor was all of a characteristic pattern of six mutations found elsewhere.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GB virus C and hepatitis G virus may cause hepatitis, but probably not severe hepatitis such as fulminant hepatic failure.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Biochemistry, Osaka City University Medical School, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishiguchi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Enomoto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiomi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuroki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Monna
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Otani
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins